Accessibility Tools

  • Content scaling 100%
  • Font size 100%
  • Line height 100%
  • Letter spacing 100%

Rigoletto ★★★1/2 and Così Fan Tutte ★★★★1/2 (Opera Australia)

by
ABR Arts 16 May 2019

Rigoletto ★★★1/2 and Così Fan Tutte ★★★★1/2 (Opera Australia)

by
ABR Arts 16 May 2019

Dr Johnson famously defined opera as ‘an exotic and irrational entertainment’, and so it proved on the opening night of Opera Australia’s autumn season – at least until the curtain went up. Lights down, photography admonition underway, conductor due any moment, we became aware of a strange incident in the gloom, as a solitary figure – elderly, well-dressed, seated behind the conductor, copious notes in one hand, megaphone in the other – rose to make a statement of some kind. His megaphone technique being rudimentary (perhaps it wasn’t on), little sense could be made of his cause. Genteel chaos ensued as the front row was cleared and various officials spoke to the genial-seeming revolutionary. Finally, after twenty minutes, he was bustled into the wings, to rather uncharitable jeers and catcalls from sections of the audience. Later, during interval, word spread that the agitator was indeed George Dreyfus, the composer, whose grievance with Opera Australia over a commission goes back many decades and is well known to members of the music world.

After this bizarre and indulgent display (so distracting for the performers, and ungenerous coming from a fellow musician), the performance got underway, with the first of two revivals that open this season – Elijah Moshinsky’s production of Rigoletto (★★★½).

From the New Issue

You May Also Like

Leave a comment

If you are an ABR subscriber, you will need to sign in to post a comment.

If you have forgotten your sign in details, or if you receive an error message when trying to submit your comment, please email your comment (and the name of the article to which it relates) to ABR Comments. We will review your comment and, subject to approval, we will post it under your name.

Please note that all comments must be approved by ABR and comply with our Terms & Conditions.